


A Queen, a Knight, and the way we wish it were

by KC10FltEng



Category: Star Wars Legends: New Jedi Order Series - Various Authors
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-09
Updated: 2020-02-09
Packaged: 2021-02-27 21:55:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,705
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22622896
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KC10FltEng/pseuds/KC10FltEng
Summary: Jacen meant to go on a long explore after the war...Set after New Jedi Order.  Jacen had started his voyage of discovery, but was interrupted by a call.  Obviously AU!
Relationships: Tenel Ka Djo/Jacen Solo
Comments: 4
Kudos: 10





	1. "Ri-ight."  Said Fred

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for a 'one-hit-wonder' prompt on TF.N, and I wanted this to be my first story on AO3. Hope you enjoy!

**_Ministry of Defence Building, Chume’dan, Hapes_ **

“We have a problem.” The Queen’s Chief-of-Staff announced as she barged into the Minister of Defence’s office in the north wing of the Fountain Palace.

Prince Isolder, Defence Minister and acting Crown Prince of the Hapes Consortium sighed loudly, but did not look up from his datapad. “Anhaje, I’ve just had to issue a ‘stand down’ order for the entire inventory of Creutz Battle Tanks because of problems with the turbine engines, development of the Battle Dragons new long-range sensors are months behind schedule, and the fleet is facing a retention problem.”

He glanced up from his datapad with a look of resigned amusement, “I really don’t need any more problems for the day.”

Undeterred, Anhaje pressed on, “I was going through the RSVPs for the Queen’s Coronation, and I saw that Jacen hasn’t replied yet.”

After the war, the Hapan Ruling Council pressed the Queen Mother for a Coronation Ceremony as a way of restoring tradition and to bestow legitimacy upon the war-time government. Tenel Ka politely demurred, saying that it was more important for her people to reclaim their lives and restore some sense of normalcy after years of sacrifice and bloodshed. A year later, the Majority Leader of the Council again broached the subject, saying that it had been over 20 years since the last coronation and that after all of their hard work, Hapans deserved to celebrate and witness a bit of Royal pomp and circumstance.

Not wishing to appear aloof to her people or unappreciative of all they had done, the Queen Mother reluctantly agreed and her coronation date was set —a date one week from today.

Isolder made a face, “That doesn’t sound like him.”

“No.” Anhaje agreed, “So I did some digging around. Apparently, his official invite was never sent.”

The older man sighed again and pinched the bridge of his nose. It would explain why his daughter was acting a bit…off…these days. She was trying her best to hide it, but Isolder had picked up on the way she avoided any conversation about her friend, or how she seemed a bit short with both the staff and with him. All because she assumed that her best friend was ignoring the most important day of her life.

“Accidentally or on purpose, do you think?”

“Gadell is trying to find out.” She replied, referring to the Chief of Palace Security and unofficial head of the Hapans commercial espionage department. “But, my money is on the latter.” She added, drily.

Before Isolder could reply, Anhaje continued, “I’ve tried calling his personal comlink a couple times, but always get a ‘no signal found’ message. I’m pretty sure that he KNOWS about the Coronation, do you think he’d come anyway?”

The Crown Prince shook his head, “No, Jacen grew up with official protocol, so he knows the drill. He’s probably assuming that she’s not asking on purpose…that she doesn’t want to create problems with the Council or Nobility.”

“Doesn’t he know that the Queen Mother doesn’t care what…”

Isolder interrupted, shaking his head again, “He also knows that it’s not entirely up to her.” As he talked, he searched through his datapad for his contact list. Finding it, he looked up again at his daughter’s Chief-of-Staff and gave her a wink, “This isn’t as big a problem as you think--I’ve got his ship’s emergency number…I think this qualifies.”

Anhaje nodded as Isolder started dialing his office’s official comlink and left the office, hearing the Hapan Prince’s ‘Royal’ voice as he started to leave a message. “Mr. Solo, this is Prince Isolder. There’s been a problem…”

T

_________|_________

O O(___)O O

_**Capiston Spaceport, Bakura** _

Even though Jacen had come to Bakura with a _completely_ different agenda than that what he had ended up doing, it had still been a good day. He had helped Malinza raise funds for her election campaign to Parliament, had an informal talk with the Under-Secretary of Communications about improving Bakura’s holonet bandwidth, and gave an interview with the capitol’s local news station about the extent of Hapes’s relief efforts in this part of the galaxy.

As he keyed in the code to unlock his ship, he smiled to himself. He might not have learned a single thing about the Cosmic Balance from Bakura’s ecumenical leaders today, but he _had_ learned a fair bit about his policy skills and maybe that was what his galactic wanderings were all about. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Vergere gave him a wink.

After changing into more comfortable clothes, Jacen entered the cockpit and saw the blinking ‘Message’ indicator on the ship-board comm system, with a time-stamp of ninety minutes previous. Scowling to himself, he activated the recording.

“Mr. Solo…” came a smooth tenor voice that Jacen recognized immediately, “…this is Prince Isolder. There’s been a problem…”

If there was more to the message, Jacen never heard it. He had spent enough time around his father and sister to know how to perform an ‘alert’ preflight, and had the auxiliary power unit started, external power cart disconnected, and flight instruments online all before Isolder had finished the message. Rushing into the pilot’s seat, he became another flurry of activity—as he made sure the navicomputer had the hyperspace jumps programmed into the flight management system, he warmed up the engines and obtained departure clearance from air traffic control.

It was not until he had been in hyperspace for a full thirty minutes and his adrenaline had wound down before Jacen realized that he had not actually listened to Isolder’s message. “Mr. Solo, this is Prince Isolder. There’s been a problem with Tenel Ka’s paperwork and I was hoping you could assist me in clearing up the issue. Please call at your earliest opportunity.”

Jacen hung his head at acting so rash. Paperwork? He’d blasted out of Bakura in a panic for paperwork? It was probably some silly issue about not having Tenel Ka’s diploma from the Academy on file, or her discharge papers from military service after the Myrkr mission. He debated on simply turning around and heading back to Bakura, but decided that he should go support his best friend on the lead-up to her historic event, even if he could not actually attend. Besides, he was not really in the mood to look like a fool to Bakuran air traffic control. With a loud sigh, he activated his hypercomm antenna and called Prince Isolder.

Unsurprisingly, Isolder answered on the second ring. “Hello, Jacen! Thank you for calling back so quickly.” The older man noticed the static on the line, and his tone turned puzzled, “Where are you?”

“About a half-hour out of Bakura.”

“Ah. Aha.” The Prince replied, amusedly. Jacen got the impression that Isolder expected that to be his answer. Well, probably not Bakura per se, but he had assumed that Jacen would be en route to Hapes after hearing his cryptic message. Smirking at the prince’s psychic ability, Jacen at least had finally learned where Tenel Ka’s trademark reply came from.

Isolder continued, “Anhaje tried calling, but she was never able to get a signal.”

Jacen fought a grimace, “Bakuran’s are still a bit…” He paused, searching for the right word, “… _apprehensive_ about too much outside communication, so they’ve limited the amount of bandwidth available off-planet.”

“Given their history, I can’t really blame them.” Isolder replied drily. “About my call: you are aware, I’m sure, of the Queen’s upcoming coronation?”

Jacen bit back a retort; the Queen Mother’s coronation been on the news, even out on far-away Bakura, every evening for a week. Jacen had heard about the official guest list, he knew what the menu was going to be, he’d learned which four of the twenty-five galas the Queen was planning to attend…. _of course_ he was aware. He was also aware that he had not received an invitation, which meant that this call was the Fountain Palace’s way of ‘breaking it to him gently’. A polite way of saying that he would allowed to visit his best friend this week, but that, due to politics and because of the still simmering anti-Jedi sentiment, Jacen would have to remain _persona non- grata_ for the actual festivities.

Visibly bracing himself, he tried to keep his tone light. “I might have heard a thing or two.”

His comment earned a throaty chuckle from the Prince. Given the amount of media attention that was saturating the Hapan airwaves, the older man knew Jacen had understated things a touch.

“Oh, I am sure.” He paused theatrically, “Unfortunately….” Isolder paused again, and Jacen stiffened in anticipation of the bad news, “…your invitation seems to have gotten lost. I’m afraid that a verbal invite is going to have to suffice.”

Jacen stared, stunned, at the communication console for a long second. They were actually going to let him attend? “Ex---excuse me?” He finally managed to stammer out in reply.

“Right. Well….” The Prince sounded apologetic, “…we are not really sure what happened to your official invitation. As it happens, Anhaje was going through the RSVPs today and noticed that you had not replied. When she investigated, she realized one had never been sent. Which is why you never responded.”

Recovering from his shock, and trying not to sound _too_ excited about this invitation, Jacen became curious. “Was it _lost_ , or simply….lost.”

Laughing, Isolder replied, “See, we’ll make a Hapan out of you yet.”

Jacen did not know how to reply to that. On one hand, he really wanted to be at the Queen Mother’s side through thick and thin. On the other…well, it _is_ Hapes, and one _does_ get tired of the constant maneuvering and posturing.

Jacen quickly changed the topic before the silence became too awkward, answering Isolder’s invitation as stately as he could. “I would be most honored to attend the Queen’s coronation.”

Isolder laughed again in reply. “I thought you would.” A small pause, “How are your ballroom skills? And I don’t suppose you have any formal wear on-hand?”

“Pretty good…” Jacen answered honestly, thinking back to all of the formal events he and Jaina were forced to attend. A fond smile of crossed his face as he remembered Anakin always seemed find a way to escape all of those events. The twins, though, started to enjoy all of the attention they got at the things. Having a number of attractive women (or, in Jaina’s case, handsome men) flirt with you for a few hours did tend to boost your teen ego. “…and no.”

“Well, it was just an idle hope. Can I get your sizes then? I’ll have my tailor get started on something.”

Jacen told him, and reassured the older man that, yes, those measurements were accurate…he had purchased a couple of ‘business attire’ ensembles just a few months ago for the purpose of meeting all of the mid-level officials his mother and girlfriend wanted him to meet. Purely for ‘off the record’ discussions, of course.

Isolder explained, a bit apologetically, that because the Coronation itself was highly scripted, Jacen’s role would be limited to that of chauffeur of the Royal carriage—a vintage wheeled carriage that pre-dated Hapes repulsor-lift technology. The Prince went on to explain that he had chauffeured Teneniel to her Coronation and thought it most appropriate for Jacen to act in the same role. The Prince went on to explain that because only a formal consort to the Queen Mother was allowed to sit at her table for dinner, Jacen would have to content himself with eating with the Prince. Fortunately, the formalities ceased with the conclusion of the formal dinner, and the Queen would be able to attend any and all balls with whomever she wished.

Jacen took all of the information in stride; he knew that the ceremonies of State were only designed to add to the legitimacy both to the Crown and to the Queen’s appointed Ministers and to confirm Tenel Ka’s responsibility to protect and defend to the people of Hapes.

After the formalities of the ceremony were explained, Isolder thanked Jacen for ‘casually mentioning’ to the Kuati mining CEO he’d happened to meet at one of Calrissian’s parties about Gallinore’s deep core mining expertise. The CEO had contacted one of the Gallinore’s firms, and an opila mining joint-venture was started in a cluster of asteroids in the Bimmiel system.

T

_________|_________

O O(___)O O

_**Fountain Palace, Chume’dan, Hapes -- Three days later** _

Tenel Ka was standing at the far alcove of her Throne Room office trying to decide which of the five gowns arrayed in front of her she would wear to her final gala of Coronation Day. She had been invited, of course, to all twenty-five balls and receptions that were being thrown in Chume’dan, but if she tried to attend _all_ of them, she’d never be able to enjoy _any_ of them. So, her, Anhaje, and her father had winnowed the list down to four for her to attend.

The biggest problem she faced was that almost all of them were also fund-raisers for various causes around the Consortium, and her presence would insure that a lot of money would be raised for the cause in question. The first two choices were fairly straight-forward and free from controversy: both the Army and Navy were hosting events to raise money for the families of the fallen soldiers. Tenel Ka might be their Commander-in-Chief, but she looked forward to being able to swap tales of danger, excitement, and loss with those who knew the cost of having such memories. As an added bonus, she would be able to wear her military dress uniform to both…thus eliminating the need to choose a gown.

Deciding to try to defuse some political tension, she also chose to attend an event that her biggest critic on the Ruling Council had organized. Maguella Dotter had long argued that the Crown was too slow in bringing change to the electoral system, but she was also a strong advocate for legal defense for the less fortunate…a cause the Queen could embrace whole-heartedly without fear of political posturing. Once again, the nature of the event made her choice of dress easy: a short-sleeved black dress that hung just above her knees.

As she stood in front of the five gowns, she found that her gaze kept returning to the blue one on the center-left. It was a simple gown of bright blue of about ankle length with a slit to mid-calf on the left side. It was an off-the-shoulder number, however, that left her right arm and shoulder bare. When she’d made the decision to attend the benefit for the Chume’dan Zoo, however, it was on the assumption that Jacen was going to attend as well. Now that it was clear she was going to have to attend with someone else, she did not think she could tolerate anyone else trying to sneak a look at her cleavage. Sighing, she turned instead to a high-neck green gown with lace sleeves.

“You _really_ should go with the blue.” Said a recognizable voice behind her. Tenel Ka turned to see Jacen leaning on her desk, a single white rose in one hand and an amused grin on his face.

“I _should_ , should I?” She asked mock-menacingly, left eye-brow raised, as she padded over to her friend.

“Definitely.” Jacen replied playfully, stepping towards her and opening his arms.

Tenel Ka stepped into the offered embrace. “You came.” She whispered as she kissed his ear, putting her head on his shoulder.

“Of course.”

After a few moments, Jacen released his embrace and offered her the rose he had brought. “I couldn’t let the lack of a formal invite keep me from attending.”

After taking the offered gift, her small smile turned into a look of confusion. “What do you mean, ‘…lack of a formal invite’?”

Jacen hopped up onto her desk and proceeded to tell the tale of Anhaje handing the stack of official invitations to the Palace courier, but grew suspicious at the lack of an RSVP from Jacen. Upon checking the official communications log, the Queen’s secretary found that there was no record of an invite to Jacen being sent. When questioned, the courier stated that she had accounted for receipt and delivery of all the invitations, and the data communications officer on duty that day verified that she had sent all the invitations in the queue. Somehow, Jacen’s invitation had gone missing.

Tenel Ka stopped pacing after Jacen had finished and sat next to him on her desk. “So…the odds of it actually being _lost_ ….” She trailed off. She had only been Queen Mother for a little over a year and she had tried her damnedest to keep her Grandmother’s political games out of her Palace. Apparently, she still had a lot of work to do in that regard.

“Are pretty low.” Jacen agreed. “But, seeing your Grandmother’s look when I show up as your chauffer will almost be worth it.”

Despite herself, Tenel Ka chuckled. One of the things she loved most about Jacen was his ability to simply shrug off problems that he could not control…a trait she was trying to emulate. She _knew_ that he was bothered by Ta’a Chume’s blatant interference, but also knew that the best way to fight back was to simply ignore the woman’s pettiness. What others saw as lackadaisical, she knew to be pragmatism. Encouraged by his lack of animosity towards the situation, she talked about how she was afraid to bring up the topic of the Coronation because he seemed disinterested. Laughing, Jacen replied that he was afraid to bring it up because he knew the political realities of her position and did not want to make her uncomfortable.

Smiling again at his admission, she hopped off the desk, took Jacen’s hand and led him over the array of gowns in the alcove to their left. “What’s wrong with the green one?” she asked, mock-seriously. “It is very pretty.”

Jacen gave his best friend a sideways look, “Princess, you are _much_ too sexy for the green one.”


	2. Brightening a Gloomy World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where does a Queen go after her coronation? Wherever her chauffeur takes her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another challenge entry for TF.N, this time for 'Songs of the English Restoration Theatre'...I was given 'The Fairy Queen by Percell. Thanks for reading!

T

_________|_________

O O(___)O O

_Mil’lar Event Center, Chume’dan Zoo_

The Queen Mother risked a glance across the large ballroom and saw her best friend in animated conversation with the director of the Royal Zoological Institute. From the way the director was nodding and smiling and from the way Jacen was gesturing, Tenel Ka was sure that both had found a kindred spirit in the other. Whether by coincidence, or whether Jacen knew she was trying to catch his attention, he returned the glance and nodded fractionally.

Taking a sip of her wine to hide her amusement, the Queen returned her attention to the Duchess of Terephon who was offering gushing praise of the Crown’s progress in animal conservation. A praise, Tenel Ka knew, that was completely feigned and an obvious attempt to try and curry favor with the Palace.

“I really think….” The Duchess continued haughtily, not noticing the Queen’s lack of attention, “….that the N’goro wildlife preserve should be expanded to include more of the migration patterns of the ceratotherium.”

Tenel Ka nodded in agreement before her eyes turned hard. “Pity you have been so opposed to our efforts for the last ten years.” She replied in a coldly conversational tone. “Terephon has lost almost half of the ceratotherium population while you complained about ‘government over-reach’.” Leaning closer, she whispered menacingly, “You might not want to wear your endangered moreletii boots next time you show up at a wildlife fundraiser.”

The Duchess’s eyes widened as she glanced quickly at her feet. “Forgive me, Queen Mother…”

“Many pardons, Majesty….” Jacen interrupted as he approached, unwittingly rescuing the Duchess from further embarrassment, “…but it is well past time for us to depart.”

“Is it?” Tenel Ka replied amusedly as she held out her partial left arm allowing him to wrap his right arm around it, “Well, lead on my good sir.” She turned her attention back to the other woman, and nodded coldly, “Duchess.”

“Queen Mother.” The other replied, properly chastised.

Jacen shot Tenel Ka a confused look at the exchange but made no comment after seeing her small smirk. Smiling in reply, Jacen led the Queen to the door. As they exited, everyone in the room stopped what they were doing and applauded their new queen.

“Sorry.” Jacen said out of the corner of his mouth under the raucous cheering. “Lost track of time.”

“I do not mind.” Tenel Ka replied in the same manner, her smile increasing fractionally as she waved to the crowd. In truth, she had expected Jacen to lose himself at this event, which was why she scheduled it to be the last of the evening’s four coronation galas.

Jacen gently squeezed her left bicep in thanks as the two turned around at the door and she offered the crowd one final wave. After turning again, Tenel Ka fought valiantly to keep the sigh of relief from escaping until after they had exited the final set of double-doors and were outside. Chuckling, but again saying nothing, Jacen opened the passenger door of an antique dark-green, wheeled speeder.

After the door closed with a quiet _thump_ , Tenel Ka kicked off her heels, closed her eyes and leaned back into the quilted leather seat. Even though she had been apprehensive about using such an old speeder – the Transport Museum curator mentioned it was two-hundred-eleven years old – there was no question that the Nyköpings Company really knew what they were doing: even being centuries out-of-date, this speeder put anything currently in the Palace garage to shame with regards to luxuriousness and power. Pity the company had gone out of business long ago.

Tenel Ka sighed happily and let her fingers run along the rich mahogany accents in the door. After a few moments, realizing that Jacen still had not gotten into the speeder, she opened her eyes and looked around, finding him conversing with the head of her security detail as they stood in front of one of the Palace’s large conventional speeders. The woman, a major in the Royal Marines, was shaking her head as Jacen was trying to explain something. Not giving up, Jacen made a box-shape with his hands and then peeled the left hand away in a sweeping motion and followed it with his right – something Tenel Ka had seen her fighter-pilot friends do dozens of times – obviously Jacen was describing some maneuver. The major’s look turned thoughtful before nodding once in acquiescence. Jacen gave her a big smile and a friendly slap on the back has he returned to the speeder.

“What was that all about?” Tenel Ka asked as Jacen got in.

“Just changing our plans a bit.” He replied cryptically.

Tenel Ka narrowed her eyes and stared at him, waiting for a better explanation. Jacen ignored the look and started their speeder, the engine noise barely audible inside the plush cabin. “You’ll like it, I promise.”

She was about to protest until she felt his infectious joy flood their bond. For a moment, she was taken back to when she was sixteen and he was always getting her to try something new. Tenel Ka shook her head in amusement and sat back in the seat, closing her eyes.

“Lead on, good sir.”

Jacen laughed his addicting laugh and slowly accelerated their borrowed speeder. After a few blocks, Tenel Ka turned sideways in her seat and simply looked at her friend. For the better part of a decade, he had been one of the constants in her life, always ready to lend support and affection when she most needed them. Now here she was, Queen of the Hapan Consortium, and she realized that she had never properly thanked him for always being there…and that she did not want him to leave. Right then and there, she almost blurted out that she needed him to stay on Hapes, that she could not be Queen without him at her side, that she loved him dearly. But when she opened her mouth, she found that her courage had left her. She could never ask him to be tied to Hapes…to do so would kill him, just as it did her mother.

“Thank you, Jacen.” She whispered.

Jacen smiled the smile that he only shared with her and ran the back of his hand down her left arm affectionately. “You’re welcome, Tiki.”

She knew that he knew she was trying to say more, and his reply warmed her soul. Sometimes, less really is more.

“What did you and the Madame Director talk about?” She asked, blatantly using the Solo First Rule of Conversation: change topics as soon as possible to avoid the uncomfortable.

Jacen recognized the dodge and gave her a wry smile as he made a right-hand turn. “The board is discussing an upgrade to the zoo. I simply pointed out that larger enclosures would be a great start, but what they really needed to do was start a wildlife park…” He launched into a recap of his conversation with the Director of how much land would be needed, about how focusing on animals from the 63 worlds would increase a sense of Hapan identity and pride. Jacen relayed how he had seen visitor numbers at other locations around the galaxy and they had always exceeded expectations, about how the revenue earned could then be used to improve the existing zoo and be funneled to other animal conservation projects around the Consortium.

As Jacen talked, Tenel Ka smiled in the knowledge that she had repaid some of her debt by taking him to an event where he could talk to others who shared his same passion for wildlife. His enthusiasm was so infectious, that she had not even noticed that they had come to a stop until he gestured out the windscreen.

“Kopp’s!” He exclaimed excitedly. “Home of the best burgers and ice cream in town!”

The newly coronated Queen’s eyes opened in surprise, “We cannot stop here! It is my coronation.”

“Exactly! Today of all days, you should be able to do what you want! ” He exclaimed, craning his neck to the left and right in an exaggerated effort to see if anyone was around. “Tiki, it’s twelve-thirty in the morning…there’s no one here. It’ll be fine.” He opened the door, “Besides, I’m _starving_.”

As if on command, Tenel Ka’s stomach rumbled in agreement. Frowning at being let down by her own body, she looked around and noticed that her security detail had parked their speeders in a quasi-barricade formation, and that Jacen had positioned their speeder in a way that facilitated a quick exit. Suddenly, the conversation between Jacen and Major Kjus made more sense; he had describing the parking arrangements for this excursion.

As Jacen was walking around the front of the speeder, she watched as her detail quickly formed a loose perimeter around the outdoor restaurant. One of them gave a curt nod, and Jacen opened the door.

Taking Jacen’s hand after he had opened the door, she shot him a look and was rewarded with a grin. Closing the door, he whispered, “You have your lightsaber, right?” She nodded once, and he breathed a sigh of relief. “Good. I promised Major Kjus that we could delay an infantry squad if attacked.”

Tenel Ka gave him a mock scowl as he escorted her to one of the many outdoor tables. “Ah. Did you also tell her that I was a bit out of practice?”

“I might have left that out.” Jacen dead-panned, knowing that even slightly rusty Tenel Ka could probably hold off an entire platoon of shock troops. She smiled at his admission and let him lead her onto the modest-sized outdoor patio.

“What would you like?” He asked as he pulled a metal chair away from one of the tables, nodding at the large menu board behind him.

“Surprise me.”

Jacen gave an exaggerated bow as he pushed her chair closer to the table. “Of course, your majesty.”

Tenel Ka watched as her friend stopped in front of the menu board for a moment and then walked up to the teen-aged girl behind the window. The girl’s slightly bored expression changed to one of shock as she peered over Jacen’s shoulder. Tenel Ka gave her a small smile and waived, causing the girl’s face to redden in embarrassment. Her co-worker, another teen, stuck his head around a metal cabinet, his eyes widening in surprise at seeing the Queen. Tenel Ka waived again, and the boy quickly ducked behind the cabinet.

Jacen made a gesture towards the back of the small kitchen and Tenel Ka saw the teen’s ponytail bounce in a nod in reply. The blonde girl opened the side-door allowing one of the security members to quickly enter and stand against the wall.

After a minute or so, she handed Jacen two large cups and a plastic number card. He nodded his thanks and returned to the table.

Placing the cups on the table, Jacen nodded towards the teen, “Kyria said that their _vanilj_ malts are the best in town.” He pulled two straws from his jacket pocket and placed them in the cups.

Tenel Ka took a sip and her eyes widened in delight. “This _is_ good. How’d you hear about this place?” She glanced at the window, one of her security members still standing in view inside the restaurant. “And why is Kjetelle standing in the kitchen?”

“Oh, Major Kjus insisted that someone be able to watch the cook to make sure they weren’t trying to poison you.” He rolled his eyes, “I thought the odds of that were pretty low seeing as we only _just_ decided to come here…but if it keeps Major Kjus happy, it’s worth the bother. I told Kyria that everything would be fine so long as they explained what they were doing.”

He took a sip of his malt. “Whoa…this is good!” He took a longer sip. “Anyway, I read about Kopp’s in a ‘What to do and see in Chume’dan’ tourist book and I figured that the odds of you ever eating here were pretty low. So…. I thought it would be as good a place as any for our second date.”

Tenel Ka gave him a warm smile. Their first date, a rare unaccompanied trip to the Chume’dan Zoo, had been so long ago that she was not even sure he remembered. The fact that he had, and the fact that he thought of this simple dinner as their ‘date’ instead of the earlier four galas was proof enough that he understood her thoughts on pomp and formality.

“You realize that this ‘date’ will be on the news later?” She asked pointedly, stressing that he had just eliminated any chance for anonymity with this side-trip. That he had just become a person of interest of all the remaining nobility.

Jacen nodded, “I know.” He paused and took another sip, “If I can handle captivity, I can certainly handle a few jealous Hapans.” He shrugged, “I figure the pros outweigh the cons.”

“Pros?”

Jacen shrugged again, “I get to share dinner with a gorgeous red-head,….” Tenel Ka felt herself blush, and she gave Jacen’s hand a squeeze at the compliment. “…we get to show to Hapes that you aren’t some remote figurehead, and we get to make your grandmother angry in the process.” Tenel Ka let out a small bark of laughter, and he returned the squeeze of his hand before continuing, “All-in-all, a fair bargain.”

Tenel Ka did not know what to make of the second of his three comments. The first and last were easy enough to reconcile: she had long known that her friend would lead with humor at almost every opportunity; and while Jacen was not the sort to hold a grudge, she also knew that Ta’a Chume’s blatant attempt to keep him from her Coronation rankled more than he was willing to admit. The second comment, though, implied that he viewed this ‘ spontaneous date’ as nothing more than political posturing and her heart fell a bit with the revelation.

“This is just a public relation move?” She asked, cautiously

“Tenel Ka….” He started, exasperated, “…this whole day…..” He stopped again as the blonde teenager emerged from the side door carrying a tray of food, the Palace guard trailing behind. Jacen rose to meet the teen, thanked her, and set the tray on the duracrete table.

Kyria followed and gave her Queen a small curtsey. “Congratulations on your coronation, your Majesty.” She said timidly. “It is an honor to meet you.”

Tenel Ka rose and glanced at Jacen, who was trying to stay inconspicuous by moving the nerfburgers and pommes frites from the tray to the table. She caught his small smile and suddenly this whole thing made more sense: he was simply trying to make her appear more approachable than her predecessors; to announce to Hapes that she would not simply hide behind her fortress walls and rule by edict. In fairness, his attempt was a bit naïve and could be viewed by some as condescending; but Tenel Ka knew his motives were genuine and she found her spirits soaring once again.

Returning her attention to the teen, Tenel Ka held out her hand, a gesture the girl correctly interpreted that she was permitted to shake hands with the Queen.

“The honor is mine.” Tenel Ka replied. “I trust we are not intruding on your time?”

“Of course not!” Kyria exclaimed. “Our friends will never believe us!”

The Queen smiled, “Perhaps I can assist with that…would a picture of you two with us suffice?” She gave Jacen another glance and caught his knowing grin. “After dinner, perhaps?”

“That would be astral! Thank you so much!” The blonde curtsied awkwardly and rushed back inside to tell her co-worker the news.

“You know she’s going to call her friends, right?” Jacen asked as he took a bite of his sandwich.

Tenel Ka gave him a half shrug. “I know.” Her tone became thoughtful, “I also know that you were about to tell me that everything I do is going to be a public relations exercise.”

Jacen smiled and nodded. “I was.” He leaned forward, “But that doesn’t mean we can’t also enjoy the experience.”

“Fact.” Tenel Ka dead-panned, as another smile crossed her lips.

The two ate in companionable silence for a couple of minutes, the Queen glad to be able to simply sit and eat and not have to engage in idle chit-chat with some random Duchess or Lady or Countess.

“These _are_ good.” Jacen finally commented, breaking the silence.

“Indeed.” Tenel Ka gestured to the pommes frites, “Particularly the gravy frites.”

Jacen nodded as he swallowed a bite, “Those are Kyria’s suggestion…she said they’re the house specialty.”

Tenel Ka nodded again but said nothing and the two returned to their relative silence…the buzz of the overhead light, the light traffic from the city street in front of the stand, and the soft footfalls of the Palace guard patrolling the grounds being the only sounds.

After another couple of minutes, the Queen caught Jacen’s eye. “ _Thus, the gloomy world, at first began to shine…”_ she sang.

Jacen gave her a confused look. “Beg pardon?”

Undeterred, Tenel Ka pressed on, “ _And from the power divine, a glory round about it hurled_.” Jacen’s look of confusion did not change, however, so she felt the need to explain. “The words to the first song played at the coronation.”

Comprehension dawned on Jacen’s face. “The one with the trumpets? That was lovely…I just couldn’t make out many of the words.”

Tenel Ka grimaced slightly, so used had she gotten to him being at her side this afternoon and evening, she had forgotten that her friend was relegated to the back of the cathedral as the chauffer when the day began. “I am….”

“Don’t be.” Jacen interrupted, taking her hand. “I’d rather have had to stand in the back than not be there at all.” Giving her hand a squeeze, he let go and his look turned thoughtful, “What do you think it means?”

Tenel Ka was a little disappointed in his question. She had thought that Jacen, of all people, would have been able to pick up the song’s meaning of rebirth and renewal. An unfair thought, she quickly realized – he had only heard the words just now, not being able to make them out at the cathedral, whereas she had been listening to the song every day for a month…and had been familiar with it even longer; the song having been composed for the coronation of Chume Ro’Cehelle II four-hundred-odd years ago.

“If you could change one thing about Hapes, what would it be?” She asked instead, answering his question with one of her own.

If Jacen was surprised by her lack of an answer, it did not show. Then again, he had grown up with a politician mother and smuggler father where most answers were vague, and all questions were leading.

Jacen leaned back in his chair, “That’s easy. The men of Hapes need to be have more rights and more independence.”

Tenel Ka nodded as if expecting that to be his answer. “How would you do that?”

Surprisingly, Jacen had a ready answer. Or perhaps not surprisingly, considering that dinner conversations at the Solo household always wound and undulated through a vast selection of topics.

“The Naval Academy and Army Institute.” He stated matter-of-factly. Seeing Tenel Ka’s puzzled look, he started to explain. “Almost everyone I talked to at the military galas was impressed with the ability and fighting spirit of Hapan men. I think the men of the Navy and Army proved to everyone that gender doesn’t matter; that men are just as capable as women.” He munched on a pommes frites as he continued. “I think we can get Admiral Ehrensvard or General Sigismund to agree to admit men to an upcoming freshman class.” He took another bite, “Ehrensvard is probably our better bet, though…she didn’t have a problem with a man serving as her helmsman aboard her Flag, so is probably a bit more progressive.” He sipped the malt and shrugged, “Once men are admitted to the Naval Academy, Sigismund will want the Institute to follow suit so as to avoid being seen as out-of-touch.”

Tenel Ka nodded absently, trying to decide if Jacen was able to remember the names of Hapes’ High Command after the one meeting, or if he had researched them ahead of time. Either way, she was impressed. “It would be better, I think, if they integrated at the same time.”

“Agreed. So, we’ll have to have the Admiral help us convince General Sigismund.” Jacen leaned back in his chair, “And the best part about the whole thing is that you can make it happen by Royal Edict. The Ruling Council won’t be able to stop you.”

“Assuming I can get Admiral Ehrensvard to agree.”

Jacen conceded her point with a shrug.

“And after?” She asked, pointedly.

Jacen leaned forward, “We wait a bit for all of the backlash to die down. After a couple of years, no one will think twice about men in the service academies. Once the initial fervor dies down, more universities will start admitting men, men will start to branch into non-traditional careers, men will start taking on more non-traditional roles.” He took another sip and shrugged, “In ten years, I’ll bet that the military is ten…maybe twenty percent male, and there will probably be a couple male CEOs.” He took another bite before continuing, “Four generations from now, your great-great-grandson will be the first King Father of Hapes.”

For a long moment, Tenel Ka sat stunned. She had not expected such a thorough answer at such short notice. “And you just came up with this right now?”

Jacen frowned, “ _I_ didn’t. I’m just passing on what has worked on other worlds who have had to integrate society with a sizable minority.” He shrugged, “I mean, if it can work on Mon Cal, it can work here.”

For the second time since they had left their last gala, Tenel Ka realized that she needed him closer than just a comm-call away. Her strength, she had long ago realized, was her ability to finish any task set before her, to never give up until her task was completed. She had always known _how_ to get things done. Jacen, on the other hand, was always trying to improve things, find things that needed to be fixed. In truth, he did not always finish everything…but he was always looking to make something better. He was able to give her the _what_. With startling clarity, she understood that she needed him on Hapes…that they could give each other direction.

“I cannot do this alone, Jacen.” She stated quietly.

Confusion clouded his face, “Of course not. Your father will assist where he can. But, I really don’t think the Admiral would be opposed to such an idea, and there are men working on assembly lines all around the Consortium, so obviously business leaders are….”

“No Jacen,” Tenel Ka interrupted, “I cannot do this alone. I need…” She paused before trying to flood their bond with images of their past holo conversations, hoping that he would understand what she was asking. “I need you to help me with this. I need….” She paused again, wishing that she were better at expressing her feelings. “I need _you_ , Jacen.” Her voice dropped to a whisper, “I need you here.”

For a long moment, Jacen sat stunned and Tenel Ka thought that she had over-stepped. While she was certain that Jacen loved her, perhaps the thought of spending all his time on Hapes was too much. As it stood now, he was the son of the former Chief-of-State and a respected hero of the Vong war…he could talk to the Admirals and Generals and government officials and have their attention. If he stayed, he would just be someone else trying to attract favor. If he stayed, he would be forced to deal with the back-biting and gossip and not-so-subtle threats from the nobility…and probably from Ta’a Chume. Tenel Ka’s eyes fell, embarrassed by her comment. She should not have asked her best friend to sacrifice all that he was simply because she was lonely.

Just before she could withdraw her comment, Jacen flashed her favorite smile again. “Then here is where I’ll be.”

The Queen shook her head, “No, I should not have….”

“Tiki…” Jacen interrupted quietly, taking her hand, “…we’re a team.” He paused before singing quietly, “ _There was no room then for empty fame: no cause for pride, ambition wanted aim_.”

Tenel Ka’s eyes widened in surprise…apparently Jacen had heard more of her coronation song then he had let on.

Grinning wickedly, Jacen leaned back and waved his right arm with a flourish. “Bring on your Hapans, one at a time, or all in a rush….”

“…. I don’t give a damn.” Tenel Ka finished quietly, not bothering to hide her smile.

“Damned straight. I do have one demand, however.”

The Queen sighed dramatically, “I _sup-pooooose…_ ” she drawled, “…we can allow one. And your demand?”

Jacen made another show of looking around the small patio, “That we do something like this every couple of weeks.”

Tenel Ka pondered in mock-deliberation for a few moments before finally nodding. “Deal.”

Jacen smiled as he stood. “Good.” He nodded at the order window, “We promised to chat with Kyria for a bit.”

Tenel Ka held out her right hand again, her eyes sparkling in delight. “Lead on, good sir.”

|

O

_____(___)_____

O O

_Fountain Palace, the next day_

“What in the hell….” Ta’a Chume bellowed as she barged into Isolder’s office, throwing today’s news flimsi on his desk, “…is this?”

Non-plussed, the prince glanced down at the offending flimsi before returning his gaze to his clearly frazzled mother. He had read the news articles about his daughter’s coronation earlier, of course, and had seen the holo of his daughter and her best friend sharing frites and drinks. Because the offending picture was buried on page eight of the news, he had hoped that his mother might miss seeing it. Obviously, the former Queen was still as observant as ever.

Isolder shrugged nonchalantly, “It looks like two kids sharing dinner.”

“It looks like a _date_.” His mother shrieked. “And on her coronation day. I _told_ you the Solo brat would be a bad influence; this is a public relations disaster…we have to control this story!”

While there was no question that Solo had talked his daughter into stopping for dinner, it was also far from clear that it was a disaster. His source with the press was telling him that most of the comments were positive.

The prince shook his head, “What’s to control? My sources tell me that everyone thinks the picture is great…gives the Queen a more relatable persona.”

Ta’a Chume huffed, “Queen’s aren’t _supposed_ to be relatable. They’re _supposed_ to rule.” She paused, sneering at her son, “I’m going to go talk to her right now.” With that, she turned and exited his office, slamming the door as she did.

“Good luck with that.” Isolder whispered before dialing his daughter’s residence. After someone picked up, “Tell the queen that a cyclone is coming.”

|

O

_____(___)_____

O O

“Excuse me, mum?” Teegan announced, entering the breakfast nook where Tenel Ka and Jacen were both eating breakfast and reading the news. “Your father called. Said that a cyclone is coming.”

Tenel Ka nodded. “Thank you, Teegan.”

“Of course, mum.” The butler replied, leaving the two.

“You ready for the force of nature that is your grandmother?” Jacen asked, a small grin on his face.

“Bring on my Hapans, one at a time or all in a rush.” She replied, returning the grin.


End file.
